Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters don't belong to me.
Title: Bad Communication
Summary: The last requirement Sakura needed to have in order to be accepted into the Akatsuki was to successfully perform the communication technique. An accident occurs, causing all the Akatsuki members to become chibi. Akatsuki x Sakura
Time-period: Before Orochimaru, Sasori, or any oof the other Akatsuki died.
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Hands clenched, I headed stealthily toward the last spotted hideout of Orochimaru. Itachi was my partner for the mission, but he would be coming later due to another mission he was busy completing. Besides, it was I who had to prove myself, not Itachi. If he stole the spotlight, then it would defeat the entire purpose of this retrieval assignment.
As I neared the subtle opening of the base, which was exactly where Pein had claimed it would be- within a complicated genjutsu of a large tree in the forest that skirted the edge of Fire Country- I proceeded to suppress the rest of my chakra, leaving me virtually undetectable.
Silently, I crept through the hallways, noting to myself, with great disdain, that the walls and floors were spattered with dried blood. It was disgusting, but I expected no less from Orochimaru and his cruel, inhumane experiments.
I passed many hallways, allowing my temporary, makeshift ring to guide me through the seemingly endless maze filled with turns. Pein had forged one that detected the chakra infused into the real thing, and I wondered what other neat things I could have done with my jewelery- but now was not the time to think about such unimportant things. Instead, I listened carefully as I crept around the base, making sure to stay within the shadows.
Eventually, I heard someone slip out of their room and shut the door. Undetected, I waited until all footsteps died away before I trespassed into the room, where I could feel the strongest 'pull' from my temporary ring. Fortunately for me, the door was unlocked and made no noise as I twisted the doorknob.
Warily, I glanced around the dimly lit room, wondering exactly what could be done with such poor lighting. A few torches were hung, spread in different areas. It seemed to be some kind of laboratory, and as I scrutinized the place from my spot, I failed to find the authentic version of my ring, forcing me to start searching more meticulously.
Jars filled with various human body parts littered the workspace, and I found myself cringing despite the fact I've had to deal with numerous amputations and tons of surgeries. Three eyeballs still attached to its stalk stared around the room as it floated in a yellow substance. One seemed to turn and stare straight at me, and I felt myself shudder.
I started with the end of the room closest to me, and as fast as I could while being thorough, I opened each cupboard, skimmed through each folder, and even checked underneath the storage boxes. All the while, I was using utmost caution as I placed things back where they belonged and destroying any evidence of my being there. I looked up at the clock on the wall- it's been an hour since the occupant of the room had left. I was surprised they hadn't come back, yet.
I continued my search as I slowly made my way towards the other end of the room, which was really quite large. It only seemed cramped because of the many strange items and surgical instruments- no doubt used for the experiments- that crowded the room. I stopped as I reached a hospital bed that looked worn down, and I felt a mixture of indignation and pity fill my being as I thought of the countless experiments that had probably laid there, helpless and dying.
Speaking of experiments, there was a white blanket laid over a body of some sorts, but I steered clear of the bed, unable to bring myself to see what horrors had been done to another innocent soul. However, my curiosity told me different. I found myself distracted as I periodically glanced back at the bed. I felt the temptation there, a beckoning, almost. Unable to concentrate on the task at hand, I finally gave in and crept towards the occupied cot.
My hand trembled as I peeled the white sheets back, but despite my growing horror I knew I could not stop, not until my curiosity had been satiated. First, black hair that contrasted with the white sheets were visible, splayed in different directions. Eyes that could not see, as they were bandaged, came next. Then a nose, a mouth, and the rest of the child's body covered in a hospital gown. I stifled a gasp as my eyes drank in the sight before me.
Unnaturally pale skin glistened in the dim light, and its frailty sent a deep pang of pity through me. I leaned in closer, reaching out towards it- but what could I do? I had no idea what sick experiments had occurred, so I was unable to make a proper diagnosis. Gently, I laid my hand on the child's arm, scrawny from starvation. To my surprise, the child flinched, and even tried lifting its other arm.
"Hurts..."
Although the voice was high-pitched, I could tell that this child was male, but I couldn't decipher exactly what he was saying. His voice was raspy- it was as if he hadn't had any water to drink in a long time, or he had been screaming loudly for too long. The sad thing was, it was probably both.
"What did you say?" I whispered, removing my hand from the boy's arm. He turned his bandaged head towards me, as if he could still see me through the thick wrappings.
"Help me..." The boy croaked, and I debated whether or not to bring him with me. I couldn't just leave him here, to die so undignified and helpless. As he weakly reached towards me, he rasped,
"Kill me... Hurts."
I was about to reassure him that everything would be fine, but I noticed somebody's foot tapping behind me, and I whirled around in a defensive position.
"Sakura-chan? What a pleasant surprise."
Silver hair. Glasses.
"Kabuto." I hissed, narrowing my eyes in what I believed was a dangerous-looking glare.
"I heard about your death, you know. I'm surprised. What are you doing here, though? Still looking for Sasuke-kun?" He inquired, sounding as if he viewed this as a conversation between friends. The nerve of this man!
I could feel my jaws clench in anger, but before I could reply, I noticed just what was beside his hand. Within the many jars containing multiple body parts, one of them had a severed hand, with an Akatsuki ring attached to one of its fingers. How could I have missed it before?
"No." I gritted, and he smirked at me with an expression that suggested he did not believe me in the slightest.
"I can take you to him if you'd like." He offered, and my eyes drifted back to his face with wariness. What was he planning?
"No thanks, I think I should be on my way." I declined his offer, and waited- but didn't expect- to see if he would actually step aside for me. Like I had predicted, he stood his ground, smirking at me with an overconfident expression.
"I'm afraid I can't allow you to leave, Sakura-chan. It's a wonder you've been able to find the base at all." He stated, tapping his fingers on the jar closest to him. I let my eyes linger on his hands, noticing the faint glow of his chakra. From what I could tell, he was forming a chakra scalpel, like had done numerous times in previous fights.
"I'll take you to see your Sasuke-kun if you surrender yourself." He urged- he must really want me to give up if he was offering me the same deal twice. I shook my head- what did he expect? If I had supposedly stared death- otherwise named as Uchiha Itachi- in the face and escaped, what made him think I'd surrender to him?
"Suit yourself." Kabuto shrugged, and as he tilted his head downward, his glasses flashed.
I waited for him to take the initiative and attack me, but he simply stood there, blocking the door. From the corner of my eye, I saw the child trembling with what I believed was fear. He was attempting to sit up, but could barely even move his arms. Anger coursed through my veins as I watched his failed attempts, and I focused the negativity towards Kabuto.
Time was being wasted as I waited. For all I knew, he already sent a message and was now stalling as he waited for reinforcements. Without any further thought, I lunged towards him. He took it as a signal to attack and he jumped towards me with his arms and hands aimed at my neck, but I dodged and punched him in the stomach. My fist wasn't enhanced with chakra, but it left him gasping as he jumped back.
"You're faster than I last saw you." He coughed, a smirk still plastered on his face, despite the obvious pain he was in- pain that I caused. I scoffed at his arrogance, readying myself for him to come at me a second time.
"I guess I'll have to get serious now." He smiled, menacingly. I fought the urge to roll my eyes- he was so unbelievably full of himself! Trying to be as quiet as possible, I walked backwards, making sure the table was standing between Kabuto and I. If I could just get him to the opposite side of the table, I could grab the jar and make a run-
"Nice try, but I'm not letting you escape so easily."
I frowned- if his attention was redirected for just a few seconds, I'd be able to knock him out and get out right away.
"Help..." The boy croaked, as if somehow reading my thoughts. Kabuto glanced back at him quickly, but that was all I needed. Summoning chakra into both my legs and my hands, I lunged towards him and hit the side of his head with enough force to send him into an unconscious state- except it didn't work.
Dammit! He had managed to predict my attack and then strengthen his skull using chakra.
Taking advantage of my momentary state of shock, he punched me in the gut, sending me stumbling backwards. The force caused me to cough up blood, and I wiped the side of my mouth with a grimace. Almost immediately he was in front of me, wasting no time whatsoever to push me into a corner. His body towered over me, and I cursed my short height for such an unfortunate disadvantage.
Before he could completely trap me, I desperately dived to the side, but he caught my arm and swung me back, throwing me against the wall. I winced as my breath was knocked out of me, but I quickly bit my lip to prevent myself from crying out in pain.
"I've caught you, Sakura-chan." Kabuto declared as he pinned me to the wall. Using chakra to enhance his limbs,- I couldn't help but notice his chakra control waver every now and then- he disabled me from moving. I refused to surrender so easily, and I struggled beneath the weight exerted on me. My arms and legs glowed with my chakra, which was nearly depleted from traveling for days. It was now a battle between strength and control, now that our limbs were borrowing strength from our chakra. Adrenaline rushed through me as we pushed hard against each other.
I managed to shove him back a few steps, and his once confident expression turned into a snarl. My somewhat successful retaliation must have bruised his over sized ego.
All of a sudden, he quickly lifted his leg, jabbing his knee into my gut and causing me to keel over. I coughed as I doubled over, and from the corner of my eyes I watched the smirk return to his face. Gritting my teeth, I lunged towards him, aiming at his face with my fist, but he dodged easily. The adrenaline had disappeared, only to be replaced with fatigue. I was already feeling the chakra depletion, as I stumbled past him.
"Sorry, but I must end this, now. It was a pleasure to see you again." Kabuto declared, straightening his hands. The glow of the chakra scalpel brightened as he lunged towards me, and in my exhausted state, I could do nothing but press myself against the wall I was now leaning against. I watched, with wide eyes, as he ran towards me, a predatory smile stretched across his face.
In a last, desperate attempt at self-defence, I reached into my kunai holster. Hopelessness engulfed me as I shut my eyes and lunged, knowing very well I would not survive. When my weapon sank into flesh, but I remained unharmed, I opened my eyes to find the young boy, whose eyes were now free of bandages. His back was facing towards me, and Kabuto was unconscious on the ground.
He looked back at me, his eyes a deep violet, with strange black markings surrounding his pupil, which was more slit-like than circular. As I had thought, Kabuto was experimenting with his eyes to create a new kekkai genkai- and I had a feeling he could have been successful... But it couldn't have been worth it, not if this was the price that needed to be payed. The poor child's entire body was so pale and frail and so painfully weak-looking. I bit my lip- now that I had better view of his head, I noticed the patches of bald spots and sloppily-done stitches.
He was dying. His breathing was uneven, and his pupils were dilating.
"I'm sorry," I apologized, my hand trembling. "I'm so, so sorry."
He didn't deserve any of this.
To my surprise, he simply smiled at me- genuine and grateful- right as he fell forward. Before even his knees could hit the ground, I caught him, despite the aching protests my back and arms made. Using a minuscule amount of chakra to ease the pain, I took out the kunai embedded in his back, and laid him on the cot as gently as I could. When I looked back at his face, his eyes were staring sightlessly towards the ceiling, but his mouth still held a smile.
Solemnly, I placed the white sheets over his body, grabbed the jar, and left the lair, refusing to turn back even once.
Upon reaching the lair, I took my bloody cloak off and sighed. I couldn't get that child out of my mind- I wanted to save him, really, I did, but as I thought about it, I knew I wouldn't be able to take care of him. He would either be killed by another Akatsuki member for being a nuisance, or I would be forced to abandon him in some village, at best. It was easier, treating patients in Konoha, knowing that everybody that came in to the hospital had somebody to return to.
"Did you get it, Sakura-chan? Did you get the ring?" Tobi asked, bounding up to me eagerly. He caught me in a giant bear hug, and I, feeling slightly awkward, pried him off of me.
"Yes, I did." I replied, showing him the jar. Tobi cringed, declaring how gross the severed hand floating in the jelly substance was, and I couldn't help but smile at his reaction. Giddily, he grabbed my hand and tugged me towards the room where I had first met Pein, and I could feel the nervousness bubble up inside me once again. Tobi knocked the door twice, and waited for somebody to speak.
When Pein's low voice was heard from behind the door, allowing me to step in, Tobi opened the door for me, and I did as was expected and strode into the room.
"Haruno? Back so fast? It's only been three days." Pein said, clasping his hands together. "Impressive. Itachi hasn't even come back from his current mission, yet."
I didn't reply verbally, but chose to nod my head to acknowledge what he had stated. The only reason I had survived was by sheer luck, but I wasn't going to tell Pein that. I fiddled with the jar in my hand, wondering if I was really going to be wearing this ring.
"May I see the ring, Haruno?" He asked, though I knew it was an order if anything. I opened the jar and stuck my hand in, slipping the ring off of the preserved hand, and handed it to Pein, who analyzed it carefully. When he finished inspecting the piece of jewelery, he looked up at me with his ever-expressionless face.
"We will begin the initiation this afternoon, not long after both Itachi and Kisame return." Pein announced, waving a hand to dismiss me. I nodded my head and quietly left, closing the door softly on the way out. When the door clicked shut, I was immediately tackled by Tobi, who started telling me about all the fun stuff they'd be able to do together, and how he would introduce me to all the members.
I felt a small flutter of nervousness in my stomach. Everything seemed so surreal, and I knew I was acting more impulsively, lately. Unsure, I tugged my arm away from Tobi's grip and gave him a small, polite smile.
"I'm really tired, Tobi, so I'm just going to have a quick shower and go take a nap, instead. Do you know where I can sleep?"
"Of course, Sakura-chan! Here," Tobi pulled her to an empty bedroom. The room contained scarcely any furniture and it smelled of dirt and clay. "this is senpai's room, but he's out on a mission, too. The shower is in the bathroom over there, and I'm sure he won't mind if you sleep here."
Nodding, I made my way towards the shower to rinse off the grime that accumulated on me over the past few days. Hopefully whoever lived here wouldn't mind me using their shampoo.
"Wake me up when Kisame and the Uchiha return, okay?" I called out, before stepping into the bathroom.
I groaned in displeasure as the poking incessantly continued. I tried to ignore it, but my poor, abused cheek could only take so much.
"Tobi, stop it." I murmured, burying my face into the pillow to avoid anymore poking.
"I'm not Tobi, yeah."
I shot up, instantly, blinking away the sleep from my eyes. Standing in front of me was Deidara, smirking down at me.
"Deidara? What are you doing here?" I inquired, sitting up on the bed.
"This is my room, yeah."
"What? Tobi never said it was your-"
Senpai.
I felt like banging my head on the wall. I completely forgot that was what Tobi called Deidara!
"Oh."
"Don't worry about it, yeah. Anyways, Pein told me to call you for the initiation. Everybody's waiting for you, un."
"Seriously? Dammit." I felt my face heat up and before I knew it, I was blushing from embarrassment- and like I usually do when I get uncomfortable, I started to become angry. "Where's Tobi? He was supposed to wake me up!"
"Calm down, yeah." Deidara replied, chuckling. "I'm kidding, Tobi was on his way up here but I told him I'd take care of it."
I sighed with relief before glaring up at him. He laughed at the look I was throwing him as I got off the bed. I was still surprised at how easygoing and friendly both Deidara and Tobi could be, considering they were both part of the Akatsuki for goodness sake! Their personalities were so different than what I would have ever imagined.
In a polite, and somewhat stiff tone, I said, "Well, thanks for waking me up. Since Kisame and Itachi have returned, I better go."
Before I walked completely passed him, however, he grabbed my arm. I twitched slightly, but I refrained from yanking my arm out of his grip and instead chose to stare at him warily, waiting for an explanation. He may have been more friendly than the others, but it definitely didn't mean I trusted him just yet.
"No need to give me that look, yeah. I was just going to say that you don't know where we're holding the initiation jutsu, follow me."
"It's not in that room where I fought Uchiha-san?" I inquired, relaxing as soon as he let go of my arm. I rubbed my hand up and down my upper arm, not realizing how tight his grip was until he had released it.
"Nope, yeah." Deidara replied, and for a second I was really confused.
"What?" I asked, looking up at him.
He glared in return and as soon as I clued in, I smiled sheepishly.
"Right, right. Your accent." I teased, and he turned away with a pout.
"Hmph."
My smile widened and I- whoa! I quietly slapped a hand over my mouth. What was I doing? I shouldn't be flirting with him! He was, well... He wasn't necessarily an enemy, anymore. He wasn't that bad to look at, now that I thought of it- and dammit, here I go again! If anything, he was my teammate and after dealing with Sasuke, I've learned that distractions like these could hold me back from my full potential, and lead only to disaster.
"It's just around the corner. There's no turning back now, yeah." Deidara declared, turning back towards me with a smirk that I assumed was supposed to be intimidating. I scoffed as I placed my hands to my hips.
"Trying to scare me? It won't work, Deidara-chan."
His smirk only widened as we stopped before the door. "Acting tough now, yeah?"
"Who's acting?" I retorted, and he chuckled before finally opening the door.
"I'll be looking forward to working with you soon, yeah." He stated as he ushered me through the door.
As soon as I stepped into the room, the severity of the situation hit me fully. I was becoming a full-fledged Akatsuki member. Once this information leaked- well, if it leaked, I would be one of the most sought after ninja in the bingo books. I would have to be careful wherever I go, and be disguised at all times.
Was I ready for a commitment like that? Was I ready for a life living in the shadows? Of traveling constantly, of fearing for my very life at every waking moment?
It didn't matter if I was ready or not. Like Deidara had said, there was no turning back. From the moment I approached him and Tobi, I had sealed my fate.
Inside the room the rest of the Akatsuki waited, standing in a circle. Written in ink were symbols that had been scattered around them in a strange order- one I had never witnessed before. I figured it must have been a rare, powerful sealing jutsu of some sort if it required so much to activate it. The summoning technique used quite a large amount of chakra, and in order to activate it, I needed to use my own blood- but the level of complication of the summoning jutsu probably didn't even compare to this one.
As I was forcing my nervousness down, Deidara led me to a gap in the circle. I was surprised to find Tobi standing amongst them as well, knowing he did not own a ring like the others did. Was he more of an assistant? A lesser-known member that was meant to be kept on the down-low? It was the only possibility I could think of that made sense as to why he wasn't the one being initiated.
Silence ensued as I stood, waiting for Pein to bestow upon me the ring I had fought Kabuto for. I could feel all eyes on me, scrutinizing me, analyzing me, and I tried my best not to squirm under the intense gazes. Doubts and feelings of regret were threatening to bubble up, but I pushed them back down. There was no way I could even try turning back- I had no place to return to, nobody to seek out.
Eventually, Pein walked towards me and placed the ring on my hand. I felt a strange tugging, similar to when I summoned slugs. I examined my ring, noticing the symbol inscribed into it was glowing.
"Now, repeat what I do and say." Pein ordered, his strange eyes staring me down. I nodded my head mutely, and he executed the hand symbols in an almost impossible speed. Dumbfounded, I repeated the hand signs as best as I could, hoped that I didn't screw up, and bit the tips of my fingers to draw blood. Once I slammed my hands down on the ground in front of me, the ink symbols became animated almost instantly. I watched in an almost detached fascination as they sped towards the other members' rings.
I felt my ring heat up, and I took my eyes away from the others to watch a film of purple chakra coat over my nails. At least one of my questions had been answered. When the strange heat finally subsided, I glanced back up to inquire about what just happened, only to find ten young children looking back at me with eyes filled with as much questioning as mine did.
End of chapter! TBC.
... And so the chibi-ness starts! Thanks for the wait. (:
Sorry it wasn't as long as I'd like it to be- I'll try to make it up in the next chapter. Please review!
